December 5, 2022
Much-loved Cherbourg musician, artist and family man Uncle Robert “Rocko” Langton died in hospital in Brisbane last Wednesday after a long illness.
Rocko, a founding member of popular local band Muddy Flats, was born in Cherbourg in February, 1962, when it was still a mission.
As a youngster, he enjoyed exploring the local bush and fishing in the creek with his family members and friends.
He attended Cherbourg State School and then Murgon State High School.
As an adult be became a familiar face – and voice – singing and playing guitar at church, balls and other events both in the Cherbourg community and throughout the South Burnett.
His original songs – including “Boys From Barambah”, “Ration Shed Song”, “Play The Ball” and “Cherbourg, That’s My Home” (with Harold “Big Chance” Chapman) – explored the history of the community and have been heard by thousands of visitors.
Rocko’s artwork has been displayed in galleries both locally and in Brisbane, on T-shirts and as “pole art” in Murgon.
His murals adorn many walls – and even a couple of vehicles – in the region.
Rocko was also an important part of Budburra Books, a Cherbourg project which produces colourful books for young readers combining art and culture with learning.
As a young man, Rocko was one of the last members of the original Barambah Pottery group.
Fittingly, he was one of the main artists when the ReFire project relaunched pottery making in Cherbourg in 2017.
In various interviews, Rocko explained his cultural background, which included links to both far north Queensland and central Queensland.
His mother, Venus Lawrence, was born on Palm Island but her family was part of the Olkola people from around Kowanyama.
His father Bob, who was born in Cherbourg, was Biri and Gunggari.
Rocko’s early exposure to art came from watching his father, who painted landscapes and portraits in oils.
He said he adopted the hatching and ochre colours from his mother’s side.
The ReFire project encouraged Rocko to return to decorating plates and bowls, but this time using much brighter colours than the iron oxide he used as a young man.
“Doing it again made me think about the old days, working for the Barambah Pottery, and how much change there’s been,” he said at the time.
“Now we paint with all the different glazes. The change really surprised me. To put all these colours into the animals and island scenes I used to put on the pots really amazed me.”
Rocko was a strong supporter and former employee of The Ration Shed at Cherbourg.
His carving is featured on a large conference table made for the historical complex.
Uncle Rocko was very generous with his time, supporting younger artists and musicians at Cherbourg, and was one of the founders of the Yidding Art Studio.
When illness struck, he was determined to keep on singing, even buying a smaller guitar which he found easier to handle.
In an interview with Cherbourg Radio, recorded about a year ago, Rocko said he would like to be remembered as a “community guy”, a person who loved his community and loved his family.
He is survived by his wife Anita, nine children, 11 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
The funeral service will be held at the AIM Church in Cherbourg from 10:30am on Friday, December 16, with family viewing time from 10:00am.
The service will also be livestreamed on the Generation Funerals website.
[UPDATED. The original report stated the funeral service would start at 11:30am]
What a well-written story about a well-lived life. I remember Rocko as a 14-year-old coming into Radio 4SB in 1976 with the late Bevan Costello and I recorded some of their songs on tape.